Process of making artificial stone.



No. 699,588. Patented May 6, |902.

C. W. STEVENS.

PROCESS 0F MA-KING ARTIFICIAL STONE.

(Application led Mdr. 21, 1901.)

'(N" Mmm l 2 sheets-sheet L www* No. 699,588. Patented May 6, |902.

w. STEVENS. PROCESS '0F MAKING ARTIFICIAL STDNE.

(Appiication filed Mar. 21,1901.)

("0 M910 2 sheets-sheet 2.

Nrrnn STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES lV. STEVENS, OF NORTH HARVEY, ILLINOIS.

PROCESSOF MAKING ARTIFICIAL STONE.

SPECIFICATION forming par?, of Letters Patent No. 699,588, dated May 6,1902.`

Application filed March Z1, 1901. Serial No. 52.185. (No specimens.)

T0 a/ZZ wwnt if hwg/concern.-

Be it known thatI, CHARLES W. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Harvey, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Processes of MakingArtificial Stone, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the process of making artificialstone in which dry sand, earth, or i the like is used in connection witha mold to absorb moisture from the stone compound as the same is filledinto the mold.

The object of my invention is to adapt such process to the manufactureof perforated or partially-perforated or hollow forms of artiflcialstone and to the manufacture of any forms of artificial stone in whichwebs or partitions of stone surround or partially surround spaces. Theseand such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by thedevices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurelshows a longitudinal sectional View of my apparatus in use in thepractice of my improved process, said view being taken on the line l lof Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the process advanced a stepbeyond the condition shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. l.Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a stone or tilemade in accordance with my process in the apparatus shown in theprecedingthree figures. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification of myapparatus. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on the line G 6 of Fig. 5;and Fig.V 7is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the modifiedforni of core-box used in my apparatus, as shown inFigs. 5 and G.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures of the drawings. i

vReferring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A is a molders flask.B is a bottomless core-box adapted to be set therein and comprising theframework b and partitions b. Said core-box is adapted to be set in theflask, so asr to Lleave the space O, surrounding the core-b0x, betweenit and the sides of the flask.

D is a bed of sand in the bottom of the flask.

E E are sandcores which are formed in the core-boxv B.

F is a layer of artificial-stone compound.

G, Fig. 4, is an artificial stoneV molded by my process and comprisingthe face F, the` walls f, andthe webs f.

It will be understood that in the practice of this process relativelydry sand is used to absorb moisture from the fresh stone com- 4 pound inthe manner exemplified in my Patent No. 624,563, dated May 9, 1899.Obviously sand in such condition cannot be packed or made to holdtogether, so as to form cores around which to mold artificialnstone suchas that shown in Fig. 4 of the d Iawings. To overcome this difficultyand p ovide a'process and apparatus by the useV t which such artificialstone may be formed with the drysand process, and yet insuch a manner asto insure true and symmetrical walls and partitions, are among theobjects of my invention, and theresults desired are attained by myinvention in the following mannerz'A suitable layer of dry sand isspread in the bottom of the flask A and is leveled so as to conform withan outer surface of the stone which is to be formed. A layer of liquidor semiliquid artificial-stone compound F is then poured into the flaskand upon the bed of relatively dry sand D, and is thereby subjected tothe absorptive action of the sand. This layer F forms one wall of thestone to be formed, such as the bottom wall F of Fig. 4. The bottomlesscore-box B is then placed in the mold D upon the fresh layer ofVartificial'stone F. The spaces inclosed by the walls b and partitionsl1 of the core-box are then filled with dry sand, thereby formingsand'cores which rest upon the upper surface ofthe layer of artificialstone F. Addrtional liquid artificial-stone compound is then poured intothe flask A and around the coreboX B, and while it is still in asufficientlyliquid condition to flow readily the core-box B is lifted,as shown in Fig. 2, more liquid stone compourfd being added meanwhile.vAs the core-box is lifted fromthesurface ofthe layer of artificialstone F the artificial-stone compound flows into the space between thesand cores E, uniting with the layer F and continuously following thelower ends of the walls l) and the partitions D as the core-box iswithdrawn, thereby simultaneously filling the spaces previously occupiedby said walls and partitions and retaining the dry sand E againstdisplacement. The infiowing `stone compound and the withdrawingpartitions and walls of the core-box B being thus kept in contact orclose together until the core-box B is entirely withdrawn and the spacesin the fiask are filled with artificial-stone compound to the desiredextent supporting-walls for the relatively dry sand arecontinuouslyfurnished during the entire operation, and the loose masses of sandbeing so kept from displacement serve perfectly as cores, and therelatively dry sand immediately begins absorption of the surplusmoisture in the stone compound. Vhere, however, it is found necessary ordesirable to mold stone in forms having long and narrow or thin webs, amodi- `fication of my apparatus-such, for instance, as is shown in Figs.5, 6, and 7-is desirable, for as the layer of stone compound F must besufficiently set to support the core-box before placing the same thereonit is evident that as the core-box is withdrawn the inflowing liquidcement must fiow in at the ends of the spaces previously occupied. bythe partitions b, and where these spaces are long and narrow it mayhappen that the dry sand will fallv therein as the partitions b/ arewithdrawn before the inflowing liquid stone compound shall have traveledthe necessary distance to fill such spaces. To overcome this difficulty,Iprovide the modified form of core-box shown in plan, cross-section,and'perspective in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, respectively. This consists of abottomless framework B, preferably of light sheet metal, dividedlongitudinally by the hollow or double partition b. This modified formof my apparatus is used substantially in the same manner as theapparatus before described, except that the space or spaces between thecores of soft sand may be filled with artificial-stone compound bypouring the liqluid compound directly into the hollow partition l) b',as well as into the spaces surrounding the framework B. Then as thecore-box is gradually withdrawn the liquidstone comf pound has only tofiow in eachdirection a 5o distance equivalent to the thickness of thesides of the partitions b in order to completely fill the space betweenthe cores.

' To facilitate theeffective and rapid use of my apparatus in thepractice of my improved process, it will be found desirable to taperthe' partitions b from `the upper to the lower ends thereof. This,however, is not an esl sential feature of my invention; nor is itcssential to myinvention that dry sand be the material used to form thedry and. non-c0- hesive core, for while I have found dry sand to bestsuit the purpose other substances, such as dry earth and perhaps sawdustand the like, may be substituted therefor without departing from thespirit of my invenpart of them may be separately removed, instead ofbeing constructed so as to be removable as a whole, in the mannerhereinbefore shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to securebyLetters Patent, is

1. The process of making artificial stone, which comprises pouring a wetartificial-stone compound into a mold and around a bottomless core-box,said box containing a core of dry sand or similar material, and inwithdrawing said core-box, while said compound is still in a flowingcondition, in such a manner that said flowing compound will follow thelower ends of said core-box and iillin afterit as the same is withdrawn,and in then allowing the stone compound to set, substantially asdescribed.

2. The process of making artificial stone, which comprises pouring a wetartificial-stone compound into a mold and around a core-boxsurrounding-a plurality of relatively dry sand cores, and in withdrawingsaid core-box so that said stone compound will fiow into and fill thespaces previously occupied by the walls and partitions of said core-box,and in then allowing the stone compound to set, substantially asdescribed.

3. The process of making artificial stone, which consists in forming alayer of sand in the bottom of a mold, in pouringliquid stone compoundupon said layer of sand, in placing a core-box containing a plurality ofbottomless core-chambers upon said layer of stone compound, in fillingrelatively dry sand into said core-chambers, in then pouring plasticstone compound into said mold and around said core-box, and in thenwithdrawing said core-box so that the stone compound will flow into thespaces surrounding said cores, and in then allowing said stone compoundto set, substantially as described.

4. The process of making artificial stone, which consists in forming adry-sand core in a mold, said core being surrounded and supported byremovable walls, in then pouring. artificial-stone compound, in aplastic or semiliquid condition, into said mold and around said core, inthen removing the supportingwalls surrounding said core, while saidstonel compound is still sufficiently plastic to fiow into the spacepreviously occupied by said removable walls, and in then allowing saidcompound to set, substantially as described.

5. The process of making artificial stone, which consists in forming amold containing a plurality of dry-sand cores, said cores beinglaterally supported and separated by removable parting-boards, in thenpouring wet artificial-stone compound into said mold, in then removingsaid parting-boards, while said compound remains sufficiently plastic toflow into the spaces between and surrounding said sand cores, and inthen allowing the stone compound to set, substantially as described.

G. The process of making artificial stone,

IOO

llEG' which consists in forming,` a mold containing a plurality ofdry-sand cores, said cores being laterally supported by removablepartingboards and separated by parting-boards so disposed as to providea space between the opposing faces of said parting-boards, in thenpouring wet artificial-stone compound into said mold around and betweensaid partingboards, in withdrawing said parting-boards while the stonecompound is still sufficiently 1o plastic to flow into the spacespreviously oocupied by the parting-boards, and in then allowing1 the compound to set, substantially as described.

CHARLES W. STEVENS. Witnesses:

0. R. BARNETT, M. E. SHIELDS.

